BOW TIE TIME

The necktie, a symbol of professional standing and proper dress, may get the noose as the American Medical Association seeks ways to keep germs at bay in U.S. hospitals. An AMA committee is considering a resolution in support of adopting guidelines for a dress code that minimizes the spread of infections. There’s evidence that doctors’ neckties and other clothing items and accessories spread disease. In 2007, the United Kingdom’s health secretary announced a bare-below-the-elbows dress code for medical personnel.